According to a recent USDA report, the portion of the American food dollar that farmers receive has fallen to an all-time low of 14.6 cents, down 17% since 2011. This is the smallest share farmers have earned since the USDA began tracking this statistic in 1993. The National Farmers Union, which advocates for family farmers, views this statistic as indicative of problems in the farm economy. NFU President Roger Johnson stated that while farmers are more productive than ever, they receive a smaller portion of the food dollar. When combined with low commodity prices, falling incomes, rising costs, and debt issues, it suggests American agriculture is experiencing a financial crisis that could force more farmers to go out of business without policy changes to

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2019
Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600
hpackman@nfudc.org
Farmer’s Share of the Food Dollar Falls to All-Time Low
WASHINGTON - For every dollar American consumers spend on food, U.S. farmers and ranchers
earn just 14.6 cents, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). This value marks a 17 percent decline
since 2011 and the smallest portion of the American food dollar that farmers have received since
the USDA began reporting these data in 1993. The remaining 85.4 cents cover off-farm costs,
including processing, wholesaling, distribution, marketing, and retailing.
National Farmers Union (NFU), which has advocated for family food producers’ social and
economic welfare for more than a century, uses the annually calculated statistic as a barometer
of the state of the farm economy. In response to the updated report, NFU President Roger
Johnson released the following statement:
“Even though family farmers and ranchers are more productive today than they have ever been,
they’re taking home a smaller and smaller portion of the American food dollar. This one data point
doesn’t paint the full picture of the farm economy, but when considered in the context of depressed
commodity prices, plummeting incomes, rising input costs, and deteriorating credit conditions, it is
certainly clear that we are in the midst of an agricultural financial crisis.
“Conditions for farmers have been eroding since 2011, and there’s only so much longer they can
hold on. Many have already made the heartbreaking decision to close up shop; in just the past five
years, the United States lost upwards of 70,000 farm operations. As a country with a growing
population and growing nutritional needs, we can’t afford to lose many more. We sincerely hope
this startling report will open policy makers’ eyes to the financial challenges family farmers and
ranchers endure on a daily basis and convince them to provide the support they so desperately
need.”
Download NFU’s Farmer’s Share

2. What happened to the farm share of the food dollar?
Masters of the Food Universe gather every year. Farmers and ranchers are denied a fair market.
The following quote is cut in stone above the main entrance to the
USDA headquarters in Washington DC:
“THE HUSBANDMAN THAT LABORETH MUST BE THE FIRST PARTAKER
OF THE FRUITS.” - SAINT PAUL
Thanks to agency capture and the monopoly power of Big Food, the husbandman is
getting none of the fruits, only the crumbs from the table.